Mohammed Abdullahi, a former Minister of Environment, has publicly criticised the recent arraignment of minors involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests that took place in August.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a post on X, he characterised the situation as “horrific and tragic,” condemning the arrests, detention, and legal proceedings against these young individuals.
The case involves 76 defendants who were arrested in various locations including Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano, where foreign flags were reportedly displayed during the demonstrations. They are facing serious charges, including treason, among other offenses. A significant number of the protesters were minors, some of whom were seen waving Russian flags and calling for intervention from President Vladimir Putin.
Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has deemed these actions as treasonable and has issued a warning that those involved will face prosecution. Reports indicate that many of the detained minors appeared ill and malnourished during their appearance in a federal high court in Abuja.
The children had allegedly been held for over 90 days prior to their arraignment, and some were seen suffering distress, with videos capturing moments where minors collapsed and cried out in pain. During the court proceedings, the prosecution requested that the names of the unwell children be excluded from the charges.
“This is quite horrific and tragic. I don’t know whether @FedMinOfJustice and @NuhuRibadu understands the gravity of the charges – Treason!,” the former minister wrote.
“For crying out loud, these unfed, malnourished kids? come on, we should be better than this.”
Presiding Judge Obiora Egwuatu granted bail of N10 million to the defendants, instructing that they must secure two sureties of equal value. One surety must be a civil servant at a grade level of 15 or higher, with a confirmed address within the court’s jurisdiction, while the other must be a parent of the defendant.
